Main menu

TDSB to allow laid-off education assistants to retrain as early childhood educators

April 12, 2012

Struggling to cope with a large projected deficit, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) decided Wednesday to cut 430 of 493 education assistant positions, but will offer individuals doing those jobs the chance to stay on as they train to become early childhood educations for full-day kindergarten. Those laid-off education assistants interested in the retraining will have special permission from the Ontario government to work in full-day kindergarten classes while they pursue early childhood education diplomas from Humber College over the next 2 years. The college will offer the necessary courses in the evenings and during school holidays. The one-time deal was hammered out in recent weeks between the TDSB, Ontario's education ministry, CUPE, and Humber as a way to soften the blow of layoffs for education assistants, whose positions do not require formal training. Toronto Star | Globe and Mail